This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to an electrical connector having a molded plastic housing which is configured to reduce warpage.
Electrical connectors generally include some form of dielectric housing mounting a plurality of conductive terminals which establish an interconnecting interface between a complementary mating connector, a printed circuit board, discrete electrical wires or any variety of other connecting devices. The terminals typically are mounted within terminal-receiving passages formed in the dielectric housing. Most often, the housing is molded of plastic material, and problems continue to be encountered because the housing is so fabricated.
More particularly, many electrical connectors having molded plastic housings which are considerably elongated. The elongated housings are highly susceptible to becoming bowed or warped, resulting in the terminals or at least the termination portions of the terminals not being in a straight line or in a given plane. The terminal portions become offset relative to each other and result in inferior or incomplete connections. Consequently, many connectors are molded with reinforcing or rigidifying flanges to prevent the housings from bowing. Unfortunately, when the housings become considerably elongated, these reinforcing flanges have the opposite affect of, themselves, causing warping in the molded plastic material due to uneven flow patterns during molding which, in turn, are caused by the uneven wall thicknesses created by the flanges. This invention is directed to solving these problems and the described dilemma presented in designing the molded plastic housings of elongated electrical connectors.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector of the character described.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector includes a molded plastic housing having an elongated body portion defining a front mating face and a rear terminating face of the connector. A plurality of terminal-receiving passages are defined by wall means extending between the mating and terminating faces. The wall means are of generally uniform thickness between the faces to allow for even flow patterns of the plastic material during molding. A plurality of conductive terminals are mounted in the terminal-receiving passages.
As disclosed herein, the wall means include outside walls on opposite sides of the elongated body portion. The molded plastic housing includes enlarged end portions at opposite ends of the elongated body portion which is narrower than the end portions.
The connector is shown as a combination connector with the elongated body portion comprising a data section of the connector and the terminals comprising relatively smaller, closely spaced signal terminals. One of the enlarged end portions of the housing comprises a power section of the connector, and a plurality of relatively larger power terminals are mounted in the power section.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.